20 Freezer Meal Recipes to the Rescue

Waking up in the morning is difficult enough on its own without having to worry about extra tasks like cooking breakfast.

Instead of waking up extra early, these freezer meal recipes for breakfast will give you a couple extra minutes of sleep.

You can make these ahead of time, freeze them, and when you're ready to eat, just pop it in the oven to heat it up. It's that simple!

Whether you're busy and want an easy go-to meal at the end of the night or you just want to minimize time spent in the kitchen, these freezer meal recipes are for you.

Chicken is always a crowd-pleaser, so try these dinner recipes with chicken. There are several different options with these freezer meal recipes. You can make these ahead of time and freeze for later. You can also eat half now and freeze the rest for another meal later in the week or the month. Either way, the options are endless with these freezer meals!

If you prefer healthy freezer meal recipes, Chili Chicken, Kale, and Quinoa Casserole is a great recipe to start with.

Ground beef recipes are popular because they are easy to make and even easier to enjoy. Combine ground beef with freezer-friendly and you've got a match made in heaven.

What's even easier than whipping up one of these freezer meal recipes ahead of time is heating it up when you're ready to eat. These all have very simple preparation, which is good news for you! Make one of these freezer meal recipes during the weekend for a quick weeknight meal.

When all else fails, it's always nice to have freezer meal recipes as back-up. Whether you're too tired to cook, your meal plans fall through, or your pantry is looking a bit sparse, freezer meals will rescue you.

These recipes are useful because they are made to last in the freezer, should you have any leftovers. Simply freeze your leftovers and when you're ready to eat them, they'll taste just as good the second time around.

It’s hard to beat the convenience of a freezer meal. To get the best-tasting results, it's essential to choose the correct type of recipe and to properly store your freezer meal. We asked two experts for their best tips on making freezable recipes.

The Experts:

Arlene Mobley, Flour on My Face                           Parrish Ritchie, Life With The Crust Cut Off

Arlene Mobley: "My all-time favorite freezer meal casserole recipe is 4 Ingredient Shepherds Pie Casserole. It is a very cheap and easy freezer meal casserole to make. And the entire family loves it."

Parrish Ritchie: "My favorite go to freezer meal is lasagna. You can make a ton of it all in one day and it freezes beautifully! I love that I can freeze it in large family size portions or smaller individual portions. It is something to always keep your freezer stocked with!"

Arlene Mobley: "Freezer burn can be a problem if you are using a glass casserole dish without a tight fitting lid or a 9 x 13 baking pan that will be covered with aluminum foil. If you’ve placed warm or hot ingredients into a casserole dish, it is very important to allow the casserole ingredients to cool down to room temperature before placing it in the freezer. Otherwise, you are trapping excess moisture inside that will freeze and form ice crystals from the extreme change in temperature and your casserole recipe may end up with that very unappetizing freezer burn flavor."

Parrish Ritchie: "By layering. One layer of wrapping is never enough. Also try to get out as much air as possible. I also like to buy freezer specific coverings becuase they really do their job."

Arlene Mobley: "What I like to do that works really well is to wrap the room temperature casserole dish or baking pan with a double or even triple layer of plastic wrap. Then I cover with heavy duty aluminum foil and make sure I tighten the aluminum foil by tucking it over and under the edges of the casserole dish or pan."

Parrish Ritchie: "Gallon sized ziploc bags and disposable foil pans are my go to. That way none of my containers are being used."